Google has today announced a partnership with Luxottica, the company behind the hugely popular eyewear brands including Ray-Ban and Oakley, to design and distribute a new collection of Google Glass styles.
This strategic partnership will see Google leveraging on Luxottica’s extensive eyewear know-how and crucially, its retail and wholesale distribution channels. As the owners of some of the world’s most popular eyewear brands, Google has potentially struck a landmine deal with Luxottica, while Luxottica stands to be the first consumer brand to produce Google Glass.
Google’s Glass has been around for so long, it’s easy to forget it is still a developer-only device with a very hefty price tag. Google eventually hopes that Glass will be a consumer product in the near future, and this partnership is definitely a massive step in that direction.
Unfortunately, those hoping to purchase Glass Ray-Bans or Oakleys will be disappointed…for now. In its G+ post, Google has said that these new Glass designs will not make their way “on your favorite Oakleys or Ray-Bans tomorrow”, but it isn’t yet confirmed if these Glass models will be compatible with all Luxottica-owned brands. More importantly, the new Glass models will more than likely not be available in the coming months.
